"I'm certain Uber drivers have been telling them how to hit," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Sunday before both socked critical home runs in the Cubs' 7-5 victory against the Rockies. "That's how it works."

The young, struggling players put to use whatever advice they have heeded during a pivotal sixth inning as the Cubs climbed back to even at 31-31.

They hit back-to-back homers to help the Cubs end their losing streak at four and the Rockies' winning streak at seven.

Russell last week was accused by a third party of committing domestic violence against his wife, which he denied and Major League Baseball said it plans to investigate. He entered Sunday's game with a .207 batting average.

"It feels good to see some success," Russell said. "I definitely want to bask in it a little bit, but tomorrow's another day."

Cubs Kyle Schwarber discusses his pinch-hit home run against the Rockies. (Paul Skrbina/Chicago Tribune)

Cubs Kyle Schwarber discusses his pinch-hit home run against the Rockies. (Paul Skrbina/Chicago Tribune)

At the urging of his teammates, not to mention many of the 41,166 sweating in the stands, Schwarber briefly basked in his after giving the Cubs a 6-4 lead. The .171 hitter, who did not start the game, reemerged from the dugout for a curtain call after his 434-foot pinch-hit homer — the first of his career — followed Russell's go-ahead blast.

Schwarber's will go down in baseball annals as the winning run because the Rockies, who erased the Cubs' four-run first with a dizzying four-run fifth, scored once more in the ninth inning after Miguel Montero added an insurance home run for the Cubs in the eighth.

The Cubs began their half of the first inning Sunday with four consecutive hits and managed 12 overall, one shy of the combined total they had during the first three games.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon on big home runs in the win over the Rockies. (Paul Skrbina/Chicago Tribune)

Cubs manager Joe Maddon on big home runs in the win over the Rockies. (Paul Skrbina/Chicago Tribune)

Anthony Rizzo's double sent Jon Jay scurrying home for the first. Ben Zobrist deposited one over the wall in right to score Rizzo and Kris Bryant, staking starter Jake Arrieta to a 4-0 lead. The team's two extra-base hits in the inning were one more than it had during the first three games of the series.

"Our offense really came up big for us," Arrieta said. "I was feeling good about the lead at that point."

After flirting with disaster in the fourth, when the Rockies put runners on first and third with one out, Arrieta tempted fate a few too many times in the fifth, when a double, a single, two walks and a hit batter led to his undoing.

Arrieta walked former Cub DJ LeMahieu on four pitches to force home the Rockies' first run. Mark Reynolds singled home another to send Arrieta to the showers with Rockies occupying every base and one out.

Photos from the game on June 11, 2017, at Wrigley Field.

"Not happy with the result from an individual standpoint, but (Miguel) Montero's homer, Schwarber's homer, Addison's home run to put us in the lead … really put us at the point where we could have (Wade) Davis come in and seal the deal," Arrieta said.

Which wouldn't have been possible Sunday without Zobrist, Russell, Schwarber or Montero.

A fact not lost on Schwarber, who a little more than a week ago embraced the patience he has been shown despite his struggles.

"It's easy to kick a guy to the curb, seeing the numbers like that," he said of his own. "It has been a big support system with the fans, to the players, to our manager, to our coaching staff, front office, everything. … They're all here to pick us up, and that's how our team is."